President,
GlobalAgRisk, Inc.
1008 South Broadway, Lexington KY 40504
H.B. Price Professor of Agricultural Policy and Risk
Department of Agricultural Economics
University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
T + 001 859 489 6203, F + 001 815 642 0644
jerry@globalagrisk.com
www.globalagrisk.com
Jerry
Skees has a unique career that blends experience in
academia, government, and the private sector. His
research and work focus on public policy for natural
disaster risk in agriculture. Dr. Skees has established
himself as a leader in innovation in agricultural
insurance programs in the United States and globally,
developing new markets for sharing catastrophic risk.
In 1989, he was on leave in Washington, DC, first
as the research director for the Special Commission
on the Improvement of the Federal Crop Insurance Program
and then as a visiting scholar at the Economic Research
Service of USDA. Since 1997, he has worked in over
ten emerging or developing economies, with recent
and ongoing work that includes a World Bank project
developing and pilot testing a new index-based livestock
insurance in Mongolia, which won the 2006 World Bank
Golden Plough Award for innovation; a USAID project,
obtaining approval from the Peruvian government for
insurance against catastrophic losses from El Niño
with a new ENSO Insurance product; and an Inter-American
Development Bank project using index insurance to
transfer irrigation risk and facilitate water markets
in the Rio Mayo irrigation district of Mexico.
Skees
has published over one hundred research articles and
is co-author of the award-winning book, “Sacred
Cows and Hot Potatoes: Agrarian Myths in Agricultural
Policy.” While at the University of Kentucky,
he has won several outstanding teaching awards and
the Thomas Poe Cooper Research Award.
Select
Honors and Awards
2007
|
University
of Kentucky
|
Great
Teacher Award |
| 2006 |
World
Bank |
The
World Bank Mongolian Project won the Golden Plough
Award for Most Innovative Project |
| 2005 |
University
of Kentucky
College of Agriculture |
T.P.
Cooper Outstanding Research Award |
| 1998 |
American
Agricultural Economics Association |
Quality
of Communication Award |
Select
International Experience: Donor Financed Projects on
Agricultural Insurance
Lead Consultant and Project Leader for Pilot Projects
and Product Development
2005–Current
|
Asian
Development Bank
|
Vietnam:
Flood Insurance in the Mekong Delta, Team Leader
of the economic assessment and feasibility study
and developing the flood insurance for Dong Thap
Province |
| 2001–Current |
World
Bank and the Government of Mongolia |
Mongolia:
Index-based Livestock Insurance, Chief Consultant
to the Government of Mongolia; developing the pilot
for the first ever Livestock Index Insurance; premium
rate making; education; and other ongoing advisory
activity |
| 2004–2006 |
USAID |
Peru:
ENSO Insurance to Spur Lending to Small Farmers,
Team Leader, obtaining approval from the Peruvian
government for the first ever ENSO Insurance product |
Select
International Experience: Donor Financed Projects on
Agricultural Insurance
Feasibility and Economic Evaluation Consultant
| 2006–2007 |
World
Bank and FAO
|
China:
Macro Policy for Agricultural Insurance |
| 2004–2005 |
Inter
American Development Bank |
Mexico:
Irrigation Insurance in the Rio Mayo |
| 2004 |
World
Bank |
Ethiopia:
Investigating Institutional Arrangements for Sharing
Weather Risk |
| 2003 |
World
Bank |
India:
Review and Recommendations for India Crop Insurance |
| 2002 |
World
Bank |
Turkey:
Developing a Research Agenda for Agricultural Insurance |
| 2002 |
World
Bank |
Ukraine:
Review and Recommendations on Crop Insurance |
| 2001–2002 |
USAID |
Romania:
Alternatives for Financing Catastrophic Yield Risk |
| 2000–2001 |
World
Bank |
Mexico:
Review and Recommendations on Crop Insurance |
| 2000–2001 |
World
Bank |
Morocco:
Investigating Weather Insurance |
| 1999;
2001 |
World
Bank |
Argentina:
Policy Alternatives for Crop Yield Risk |
| 1998–1999 |
World
Bank |
Nicaragua:
Using Rainfall Insurance for Crop Yield Risk |
Select
Underwriting and Actuarial Expert Reviews for the Risk
Management Agency, USDA
| 2008 |
Sweet
Cherries |
| 2008 |
Premium
Discounts for Genetically Modified Corn |
| 2007 |
Sugarcane
Group Risk Plan |
| 2007 |
Oyster
Group Risk Plan |
| 2005 |
Crop
Insurance Premium Reduction Plans |
| 2004 |
Portfolio
Analysis, Indicators for Evaluating Performance |
| 2004 |
RMA
Plan for Projects on Rangeland and Pasture |
| 2002–2004 |
Review
of FCIC Portfolio and Retreat with Board of Directors |
| 2003 |
Puerto
Rico Coffee Tree and Production Insurance |
| 2003 |
Cost
of Production Insurance Plan for Cotton |
| 2002 |
Livestock
Insurance |
| 2002 |
Cost
of Production |
| 2001 |
Crop
Revenue Cover for 2002 |
| 2001 |
Adjusted
Gross Revenue Insurance |
Select
Private Sector Consulting
2007
|
Microinsurance
Centre
|
Weather
insurance review for KfW, Frankfurt, Germany |
| 2006 |
Microinsurance
Centre |
USAID
briefing note on weather index insurance |
2005
|
LightYear
Capital
|
Advising
on acquisition of a major crop insurance company |
2004
|
ACE
Insurance
|
Advising
on insurance for an agricultural processor |
2002–2004
|
American
Clean Water
|
Investigating
insurance for reducing environmental risk |
2001–2002
|
Aquila
Inc., Kansas City
|
Working
on weather markets for agricultural risk |
| 2001 |
PartnerRE,
Zurich |
Brazil:
Evaluation of area-yield index insurance |
Presentations
2008
| May
6–8 |
La
Positiva
Lima, Peru
|
“Background
and Rationale for Index Insurance” |
| April
7–8 |
OECD
Paris, France |
“Agricultural
Insurance: Background and Context for Climate Adaptation
Discussions” |
| March
5 |
Hanoi,
Vietnam |
“Proposed
Insurance Structure for Business Interruption, Design,
Pricing, and Other Issues” |
Presentations
2007
December
14
|
College
of Agriculture, University of Kentucky
|
Climate
Change, Adaptation, and Agricultural and Catastrophe
Insurance |
| November
18 |
Alliance
Insurance Company, Kathmandu, Nepal |
“Advances
in Agricultural Insurance Using Weather Index Insurance” |
| November
13–15 |
MunichRe
Foundation, Mumbai |
“Trigger-based
Livestock Insurance in Mongolia” |
| October
23–27 |
APO
Seminar, New Dehli |
“The
Role of Index-based Agricultural Insurance in Developing
Agricultural Insurance for Small-Scale Farmers;
and, The Mongolian Index-based Livestock Insurance
Program: Lessons Learned and Applications for Other
Countries” |
| October
11 |
GTZ,
Eschborn, Germany |
“Weather
Insurance in Practice: Insurance Options against
Climate Risks — An International Overview” |
| October
8–10 |
SwissRe,
Rueschlikon, Switzerland |
“Agricultural
Risks and Their Impact upon Emerging Markets” |
| September
24–25 |
IIASA,
Laxenburg, Austria |
“Learning
from the U.S. Experience; and, The Mongolian Case
Study” |
| July
29–August 1 |
AAEA,
Portland, Oregon |
“Innovations
in Risk Transfer for Natural Disasters in Lower
Income Countries” |
| July
5–6 |
EAAE,
Berlin |
“Challenges
for Use of Index-based Weather Insurance in Lower
Income Countries” |
| June
12–13 |
NAREA,
Delaware |
“Innovations
in Index Insurance for the Poor in Lower Income
Countries” |
| April
20–21 |
Cornell
University |
“Innovations
in Index Insurance for the Poor in Lower Income
Countries” |
| March
16 |
Shanghai,
China |
“Shanghai
Province Framework for Agricultural Insurance” |
| March
14 |
Urumqi,
China |
“Xinxiang
Province Framework for Agricultural Insurance” |
| March
12 |
Beijing,
China |
“Macro
Framework for Agricultural Insurance” |
| February
22 |
World
Bank, DC |
“Mongolia
Livestock Insurance Indemnity Pool” |
| January
5 |
Hanoi,
Vietnam |
“Developing
Flood Insurance in the Mekong Delta” |
Presentations
2006
October
24
|
USAID,
DC
|
“Innovations
in Risk Management: Index Insurance” |
| October
9 |
FAO,
Rome |
“New
Approaches to Agricultural Insurance” |
| August
28 |
Lima,
Peru |
“ENSO
Insurance for Microfinance Institutions and the
Rural Sector in Peru” |
Selected
Publications
-
Barnett,
B. J., C. B. Barrett, and J. R. Skees. “Poverty
Traps and Index-based Risk Transfer Products.”
World Development. Forthcoming.
-
Leiva,
A. J., and J. R. Skees. “Using Irrigation
Insurance to Improve Water Usage in the Rio Mayo
System of Northwest Mexico.” World Development.
Forthcoming.
-
Skees,
J. R. “Innovations in Index Insurance for
the Poor in Lower Income Countries.” Agricultural
and Resource Economics Review. Forthcoming.
-
Skees,
J. R., B. J. Barnett, and B. Collier. “Agricultural
Insurance: Background and Context for Climate
Adaptation Discussions.” Paper presented
at the OECD Expert Workshop on Economic Aspects
of Adaptation, Paris, France, April 7–8,
2008.
-
Skees,
J. R. “Challenges for Use of Index-based
Weather Insurance in Lower Income Countries.”
Agricultural Finance Review 68(2008): 197–217.
-
Skees,
J. R., B. J. Barnett, and A. G. Murphy. “Creating
Insurance Markets for Natural Disaster Risk in
Lower Income Countries: The Potential Role for
Securitization.” Agricultural Finance Review.
68(2008): 151–167.
-
Skees,
J. R., J. Hartell, and A. Murphy. “Using
Index-based Risk Transfer Products to Facilitate
Micro Lending in Peru and Vietnam.” American
Journal of Agricultural Economics 89(2007): 1255–1261.
-
Ibarra,
H., and J. R. Skees. “Innovation in Risk
Transfer for Natural Hazards Impacting Agriculture.”
Environmental Hazards 7(2007) 62–69.
-
Khalil,
A. F., H. H. Kwon, U. Lall, M. J. Miranda, and
J. R. Skees. “ENSO-based Index Insurance
for Floods: Statistical Risk Analyses and Application
to Peru.” Water Resource Research Vol. 43,
No. 10, Manuscript #2006WR005281, October 17,
2007.
-
Skees,
J. R., and J. Hartell. “Innovations in Risk
Transfer Markets in Agriculture for Natural Hazards.”
Risk Management in Agriculture for Natural Hazards.
Rome: ISMEA, December, 2006.
-
Skees,
J. R., and B. J. Barnett. “Enhancing Micro
Finance Using Index-based Risk Transfer Products.”
Agricultural Finance Review 66(2006): 235–250.
-
Gramig,
B. M., B. J. Barnett, J. R. Skees, and J. R. Black.
“Incentive Compatibility in Risk Management
of Contagious Livestock Diseases.” The Economics
of Livestock Disease Insurance: Concepts, Issues
and International Case Studies. S. R. Koontz,
D. L. Hoag, D. D. Thilmany, J. W. Green, and J.
L. Grannis, eds. Wallingford, Oxfordshire, and
Cambridge MA: CABI Publishing, 2006.
-
Meuwissen,
M. P. M., M. A. P. M. van Asseldonk, J. R. Skees,
and R. B. M. Huirne. “Designing Epidemic
Livestock Insurance.” The Economics of Livestock
Disease Insurance: Concepts, Issues and International
Case Studies. S. R. Koontz, D. L. Hoag, D. D.
Thilmany, J. W. Green, and J. L. Grannis, eds.
Wallingford, Oxfordshire, and Cambridge MA: CABI
Publishing, 2006.
-
Hazell,
P. B. R., and J. R. Skees. “Insuring Against
Bad Weather: Recent Thinking.” India in
a Globalising World: Some Aspects of Macroeconomy,
Agriculture, and Poverty. R. Radhakrishna, S.
K. Rao, S. Mahendra Dev, and K. Subbarao, eds.
New Delhi: Academic Foundation and Hyderabad:
Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS),
2006.
-
Mahul,
O., and J. R. Skees. “Piloting Index-based
Livestock Insurance in Mongolia.” Access
Finance: A Newsletter Published by the Financial
Sector Vice Presidency of the World Bank, Issue
10, The World Bank, March, 2006.
-
Skees,
J. R., J. Hartell, and J. Hao. “Weather
and Index-based Insurance for Developing Countries:
Experience and Possibilities.” Agricultural
Commodity Markets and Trade: New Approaches to
Analyzing Market Structure and Instability. A.
Sarris, and D. Hallam, eds. Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations; and Cheltenham
UK, and Northampton MA: Edward Elgar Publishing,
2006.
-
Barnett,
B. J., J. R. Black, Y. Hu, and J. R. Skees. “Is
Area Yield Insurance Competitive with Farm Yield
Insurance?” Journal of Agricultural and
Resource Economics 30(2005): 285–301.
-
Hess,
U., J. R. Skees, A. Stoppa, B. J. Barnett, and
J. Nash. “Managing Agricultural Production
Risk: Innovations in Developing Countries.”
Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD) Department
Report No. 32727-GLB, The World Bank, June, 2005.
-
Skees,
J. R., P. Varangis, D. Larson, and P. Siegel.
“Can Financial Markets Be Tapped to Help
Poor People Cope with Weather Risks?” Insurance
against Poverty. S. Dercon, ed. Oxford: UNU-WIDER
Studies in Development Economics, Oxford University
Press, 2005.
-
Skees,
J. R., and J. Hartell. “New Instruments
for Risk Management: Index Contracts Variability.”
The Management of Risk in Agriculture: Instruments
and Policies. Forum Internazionale Dell’
Agricultura e Dell’ Alimentazione, 2004
(in Italian).
-
Skees,
J. R. “Risk Management Challenges in Rural
Financial Markets: Blending Risk Management Innovations
with Rural Finance.” The thematic papers
presented at the USAID Conference: Paving the
Way Forward for Rural Finance: An International
Conference on Best Practices, Washington, DC,
June 2–4, 2003.
-
Skees,
J. R., and A. Enkh-Amgalan. “Examining the
Feasibility of Livestock Insurance in Mongolia.”
Working Paper 2886. The World Bank, September
17, 2002.
-
Varangis,
P., J. R. Skees, and B. J. Barnett. “Weather
Indexes for Developing Countries.” Climate
Risk and the Weather Market: Financial Risk Management
with Weather Hedges. Dischel, R. S., ed., London:
Risk Books, 2002.
-
Skees,
J. R. “The Bad Harvest: More Crop Insurance
Reform: A Good Idea Gone Awry.” Regulation:
The CATO Review of Business and Government 24(2001):
16–21.
-
Skees,
J. R. “A Role for Capital Markets in Natural
Disasters: A Piece of the Food Security Puzzle.”
Food Policy 25(2000): 365–378. REPRINTED
in The Economics of Natural Hazard: The International
Library of Critical Writings in Economics. Kunreuther,
H., and A. Rose, eds. Cheltrenham, UK: Elgar Reference
Collection, 2004.
-
Skees,
J. R. “Opportunities for Improved Efficiency
in Risk Sharing Using Capital Markets.”
American Journal of Agricultural Economics 81(1999):
1228–1233.
-
Skees,
J. R., and B. J. Barnett. “Conceptual and
Practical Considerations for Sharing Catastrophic/Systemic
Risks.” Review of Agricultural Economics
21(1999): 424–441.
-
Skees,
J. R., J. L. Harwood, A. Somwaru, and J. Perry.
“The Potential for Revenue Insurance Policies
in the South.” Journal of Agricultural and
Applied Economics 30(1998): 47–61.
-
Skees,
J. R. “Economic Research in Food Safety
— Putting the Puzzle Together: Discussion.”
Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics
30(1998): 109–111.
-
Skees,
J. R., B. J. Barnett, and J. R. Black. “Designing
and Rating an Area Yield Crop Insurance Contract.”
American Journal of Agricultural Economics 79(1997):
430–438.
-
Barnett,
B. J., and J. R. Skees. “An Empirical Analysis
of the Demand for Multiple-Peril Crop Insurance:
Comment.” American Journal of Agricultural
Economics 76(1994): 948–951.
-
Luo,
H., J. R. Skees, and M. Marchant. “Effectiveness
of Early Season Yield Prediction Using Weather
Info: Implications for Crop Insurance.”
Review of Agricultural Economics 16(1994): 441–451.
-
Buzby,
J. C., P. L. Kenkel, J. R. Skees, J. W. Pease,
and F. J. Benson. “A Comparison of Subjective
and Historical Yield Distributions with Implications
for Multiple Peril Crop Insurance.” Agricultural
Finance Review 54(1994): 15–23.
-
Baquet,
A., and J. R. Skees. “Group Risk Plan Insurance:
An Alternative Risk Management Tool for Farm Managers.”
Choices 1(1994): 25–28.
-
Pease,
J., E. Wade, J. R. Skees, and C. M. Shrestha.
“Comparisons between Subjective and Statistical
Forecasts of Crop Yields.” Review of Agricultural
Economics 15(1993): 339–350.
-
Glauber,
J. W., J. L. Harwood, and J. R. Skees. An Alternative
for Reducing Federal Crop Insurance Program Losses..
Agricultural Economic Report 668, ERS, USDA, Washington,
DC, 1993.
-
Skees,
J. R. “The New Political Economy of Agricultural
and Rural Research: Implications for Institutional
Change: Responses from Agricultural Economists.”
American Journal of Agricultural Economics 74(1992):
1241–1248.
-
Browne,
W. P., J. R. Skees, L. E. Swanson, P. Thompson,
and L. Unnevehr. Sacred Cows and Hot Potatoes:
Agrarian Myths and Agricultural Policy. Boulder,
CO: Westview Press, 1992.
-
Buzby,
J. C., F. J. Benson, and J. R. Skees. “Risk
Management Education Programs of County Extension
Agents.” Journal of Extension 30(1992):
22–25.
-
Nutt,
P. J., and J. R. Skees. “Development of
Financial Relationships within Farm Level Simulation
Models.” North Central Journal of Agricultural
Economics 12(1990): 1–8.
-
Barnaby,
G. A., and J. R. Skees. “Public Policy for
Catastrophic Yield Risk: An Alternative Crop Insurance
Program.” Choices 2(1990): 7–9.
|
Jerry Skees, University of Kentucky